Sealing envelopes



(No Model.)

SHI'. BROOKS.

' SEALING ENVBLOPBS, PACKAGES, &e. No. 372,251. Patented Oct. 25, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEFicE.

SAMUEL TQ BROOKS, OF sAN ERANoIsoO, OALTFORNIA.

SEALING ENVELOPES, PACKAGES, 80C.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,251, dated October 25, 1887.

(No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concerm Be it known that I, SAMUEL T. BROOKS, of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Sealing Envelopes, Packages, Ste.; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the art of sealing envelopes, packages, and other similar inclosing'casings where sealing-wax or other similar material is employed; and my invention consists in the employment of a plate provided on one of its surfaces with scattered inclined prongs or projections passing through the body of the envelopes and receiving the molten wax or other sealing material, by .which said material is firmly Xed in place.

In the ordinary sealing of envelopes, packages, Ste., it is customary to apply the wax directly to the paper or other material of the envelope and allow it to overlap the fixed and folding flaps, so as to secure the latter; but with packages as thus sealed it is by no means a difcultoperation to neatly remove the entire body of the wax and replace it, this being done by employing a thin flat knife, either cold or hot, preferably hot, and passing it` along between the wax and the material of the envelope. l

The object of my inventionis to prevent the surreptitious removal and replacement of the seal and to avoid completely any tampering with it Without its being known. Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figurel is an elevation of an envelope or package, showing the plate, with the scattered inclined prongs or projections of said plate projecting through the Hap and body of the envelope,each through its own puncture. Fig. 2 is a view showing the scattered inclined prongs or projections of each plate passing through in a body. Fig. 3 shows the employment of a single plate in the body or permanent flap of the envelope and the folding flap having an opening through which the prongs may project, as before. Fig. 4 is an elevation of an envelope or package, showing the application of the sealing-wax and the ends of the scattered inclined prongs or projections therein. Fig. 5 is a section through the seal of Fig. 4.

A is an envelope, which may stand for any suitable inclosing-casing.

B is a plate, preferably of some thin metal, and shown in Fig. 1 as being in two parts, one being placed behind the main body or fixed Hap of the envelope and the other behind the folding ilap thereof. This plate is provided on one of its surfaces only with small scattered inclined prongs or projections b, which pass lthrough the body of the envelope, either in separate punctures, as shown in Fig. 1, or in a body, as shown in Fig. 2.

Cis the sealing-wax, Fig. 4, which is applied t0 the envelope directly upon and over the prongs or projections b ot' the plate or plates B. These scattered inclined prongs or projections firmly hold the wax, whether they project entirely through and end flush with the surface of the wax, as I have shown in Figs. 4 and 5, or only enter part way, for it is obvious that it is impossible to remove said Wax as a whole, and the use of the heated knife, as I have before mentioned, is in this case impracticalule, for the knife would come in contact with the prongs 01 projections of the plate and not find a free passage, and also the wax, being bound upon the prongs, would not separate therefrom, and the only way to get it off is to pick it off in bits, Vwhich of course would only be done bythe person authorized to open the package, as it would wholly destroy the seal. There can therefore be no tampering with the seal.

If but a single plate be used, it may be arranged in an envelope, as shown in Fig. 3, where it is placed behind the permanent flaps of the envelope and its prongs adapted to penetrate, either separately or as a body,

through all the flaps of the envelope, including the folding flap. It will thus be seen that the package cannot be opened without injuring the seal and any impression made thereon.

The improvement is applicable to packages and other inclosing-casings, whether made of paper, cloth, or other material. The plates B may be of any suitable material, preferably metal, brass being, perhaps, the best metal to be used. The scattered inclined prongs or projections of the plates may be of different lengths, according to the thickness of material through which they have to pass, and they may be arranged in any suitable manner.

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The plates may be attached behind the niaterial in any way, as by pasting them on, or they may be left loose and rely for their fastening upon the subsequently-applied sealingwax. The direction and inclination of the prongs may be varied according as it may be found best.

I am aware that it has been suggested by Letters Patent No. 102,211 to make a sealing device consisting of one plate provided with arrow-headed projections and a second or covering plate with openings in its returned surface, which second plate interlocks with and conceals the arrow-headed projections. The gist of my invention rests in the idea of a single plate with projections adapted to receive and hold ordinary sealing-wax and to prevent the unsealing of an envelope without detection. I do not therefore wish to be understood as laying claim to any such construction as shown in the patentreferred to.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improvement in the sealing of envelopes, packages, and other inclosing-cases, consisting of a plate provided with inclined prongs or projections scattered over its surface upon one side only, said prongs adapted to pass through the material composing the envelope, &c., at the point where the wax seal is to be placed, whereby said wax or seal is held by contact with the prongs ofthe plate, substantiall y as hereinbefore set forth.

2. In combination with an envelope, package, or other inolosing-casing, a metal plate arranged within said envelope, package, or other casing, said plate provided with inclined projections scattered over its surface on one side only, which projections pass outwardly through the material of the envelope in position to receive and secure the wax seal, substantially as hereinbeforc set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

SAMUEL T. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

J As. ToBrN, J. H. BLOOD. 

